An overwhelming majority of Californians say the U.S.-Mexico border is "not secure," according to a new poll from the Los Angeles Times and Berkeley.
The survey of registered voters found that 62% of respondents believed that the border was not secure, while just 30% said it is. The issue deeply divided the state's Democrats as well, with 54% of people who identify as "strongly liberal" saying the border is secure and 30% saying it is not.
Among California Republicans, 88% say the border is not secure and just 8% say it is.
Furthermore, over 70% of registered voters agree that illegal immigrants are a "burden" on the U.S., with 42% saying they are a "major burden" and 30% saying they are a "minor burden," according to the poll.
TEXAS BEGINS FLYING MIGRANTS TO SANCTUARY CITIES WITH FIRST FLIGHT TO CHICAGO
Just 22% said illegal immigrants do not present any burden for the U.S.
The Berkeley IGS poll was conducted from Jan. 4-8. It surveyed 8,199 randomly sampled registered California voters and advertised an estimated 1.5% margin of error.
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Frustration with illegal immigration in a liberal bastion like California is in line with President Biden's poor polling on immigration issues since gaining office.
Republicans on Capitol Hill are currently seeking to impeach Biden's Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas. Polls have also shown that voters overwhelmingly believe former President Trump could handle the border crisis more effectively.
A surge in illegal immigration in the final months of 2023 saw over 240,000 migrant encounters per month for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Republicans on both the state and federal levels have grown increasingly aggressive on the immigration issue.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has altered the political landscape entirely with his program of bussing migrants to major Democratic cities like New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
